Amos woeber



'15, and depression of said bar.

UNrTEDf STATESA PATENT FFICE@ y AMOS WOEBER, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE CINCINNATP TARGET BALL AND TRAP MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

POTTERS MOLD.

SPECIPICATIONuforming part of Letters Patent No. 296,097, dated April l, 1884.

Application filedv September 19, 1882. (No model.)

T @ZZ whom may concern:

Be it known that I, AMOS WOEBER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincin-` nati, in the county of- Hamilton and `State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potters Molds, of which the following is a specication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention consists in mounting a series i 1o of potters flasks or molds on a suitable bed or table and attaching all 'the ejecting-pistons of said molds to a common lifting-bar, in order that said pistons may be simultaneously advanced and retracted by the simple elevation This bar is operated by a hand lever or levers provided with suitable cams, inclined planes, or other convenient devices capable of producing the desired motion, the clay or slip being compressed 2o in the molds by a series' of plungers or followers attached to a l common rod, in order that all of these connected plungers may be inserted in their respective molds and withdrawn therefrom by hand, thereby `dispensing with special mechanical appliances for this purpose,

as hereinafter more fully described,and pointed out inthe claim.

In the annexed drawings, Figure l is avertical section of my improved mold, a portion `3o ofthe same being broken away, and the fol- .lowers or plungers being shown detached. Fig. 2 is a plan showing the followers'inserted in the molds. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of one of the molds, a piece of ware being shown' 3 5 in the act of being ejected therefrom. Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section through the upper lpart of one of the molds, the follower being shown in ,the act of compressing the slip lor clay therein. Fig. 5 is an enlarged eleva- 4o tion of the devices that operate the lifting-bar,

the latterbeing shown in its elevated position.

\ y Fig. 6 represents a modification of the inven-a tion. l

AV represents a table orbed-plate, uponwhich are mounted as many molds or flasks B as can be conveniently handled. These molds,which may be ofany desired size and shape, are preferably made `of metal, and have lugs C, wherewith they are securely bolted tobedguiding the bar L as to cause each of said followplate A. Furthermore, each flask has ashort 5o neck, D, which serves the twofold purpose of locating the molds on the table A and of acting as guides for the cylindrical pistons E, the

latter being attached to a lifting-bar, F, that plays vertically within the chamber a of said table. Bar F is provided with two cams, G H, resting on similar devices, G' H', at the inner ends of levers g h, the pivots I I', upon which turn the cams G I-I', serving also as guides for said bar. Levers gh are united by a connecting-rod, J, so as to cause said levers to move in unison with each other. Projecting upwardly from bed-plate A are two guide-pins, K K', adapted to enter suitable holes, l Z', near the opposite ends of a bar, L, which latter carries a series of followers or plungers, N, one for each of the molds B. These followers or plungers are preferably mere shells, and have annular anges O, adapted to rest on the flasks B, said flanges or collars being cut away `at o to permit a ready escape of any superfluous slip or other composition contained in said flasks. Furthermore, the iianges O have ears P, to admit screws p, wherewiththe followers A N are attached to the bar L. When the apparatus is in its normal position, the levers g h are swung to the right, as seen in Fig. 2, which act brings the meeting surfaces of cams G G and H H" in contact, thereby lowering the bar F and causing the upper ends of pistons E to be ilushwith the bottom of the matrix of molds B. The slip, clay, or other composition, X, is then poured into the flasks B until a certain predetermined level is reached, which point may be indicated by well-defined marks in said flasks, or it may be gaged by the vessel `from which the slip is delivered. After charging the various molds, the followers for plungers N are brought into service, the pins K K so 9o ers to occupy its proper concentric position within the flasks B, as seen in Fig. 2. A reference to this illustration will show that the segmental portions o of flanges O afford small openings at the opposite sides of each mold, and hence anysuperliuous material therein will be forced out through these openings, as indicated in Fig. 4:. After the slip has remained in the molds long enough to become sufficiently set or hardened, a few slight taps are given to the bar Lwitha mallct for the purpose ot'loosening the material from the followers, and the latter are then'removed bodily. The coupledl levers g h are now swung to the left, thereby causing the lower cams, G H', to turn upon their respective pivots I I, and so act upon the cams G H as to lift the bar F and carry its attached pistons E up far enough to partially eject the dried pieces of ware X from the molds. (See Figs. 3 and 5.) These partially-ejected pieces can then be removed by hand, and be subjected subsequently to any desired treatment or finishing processes.

It is evident that by employing a sufficient number of molds 'the slip in the first gangwill be hardening while the other molds are being filled, thereby rendering the operation a continuous one, and preventing` any loss of time while the material is setting. In the drawings the flasks are shown as adapted for producing hollow hemispheres; but the invention is not to be construed as limited to this form alone, as it is evident the apparatus mav be arranged to mold any size or shape of ware that can be made of plastic material or materials. Furthermore, as the leading feature of my invention consists in simultaneously operating a gang of pottery-mold pistons by attaching the latter to a single lifting-bar, the invention is not to be confined to the special devices herein described for'actuating said bar. An evident modification of this part of the apparatus would be a rock-shaft carrying eccentrics to actuate the bar F; or the same result could be obtained by providing said bar with an incline, j', adapted to be actuated by a wedge, o, of the rod R, the latter being shifted in the direction of the arrow seen in Fig. 6 when it is desired to elevate the pistons, and being retracted for depressing them.

If very thin slip is used, the lower ends of the necks D may be provided with stufngboxes to prevent leakage into chamber a; but in this event springs would be necessary to force down the bar F.

I claim as my invention- An improved potters mold consisting of the bed-plate A a, flasks B, pistons E, liftingbar F, elevating devices G G g H H 1L J, and readily-removable fol] owers N, which latter are connected to a bar, L, and are operated directly by hand, substantially as herein described.

In testimony whereof l aiiix mysignature in presence of two witnesses. f

AMOS VOEBER. W'itnesses:

y JAMEs H. LAYMAN,

SAML. S. CARPENTER. 

